Modern Drummer is the world’s most widely read drum magazine, is dedicated entirely to the art of drumming and caters to the needs of amateur, semi-pro, and professional drummers.
Aric Improta
It’s all in the work. When Night Verses’ firebrand isn’t touring the world, he and his bandmates are holed away for hours and hours, refining, improving, TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Consecutive Flams Part 1: Spaced Out
This month we’re going to kick off a challenging three-part series on flams. All of these exercises will consist of single flams followed by sets of two, three, and four flams. Then we’ll reverse the order to end up back…
All Together Now! Focus on Unison Exercises
Practicing unison exercises is an excellent way to determine the accuracy and precision of your four limbs as they function together. Like links in a steel chain, the sturdiness of your groove depends on the strength of your weakest limb.…
The Paradiddle Polyrhythm Pyramid
Sharpen Your Rhythmic Awareness and Control The following exercise was going to be called the Paradiddle Polyrhythm Rudiment, but I felt that it was too long to be just one rudiment. Instead, it makes for a formidable polyrhythm exercise in…
The Journey of Self-Discovery
Thoughts on Developing Your Own Musical Voice One of the things I mentioned in last month’s column was how I feel there are way too many drummers who sound alike in the field today. Of course, this is…
Frankie Dunlop
Francis “Frankie” Dunlop, a great jazz drummer of precision, sensitivity, inventiveness, and deep swing, passed away this past July at age eighty-five, after a long struggle with illness. Born December 6, 1928, into a musical family, Dunlop possessed determination that…
Jonathan Joseph
Guitar god Jeff Beck didn’t get where he is by keeping his drummers in the shadows. Quite the opposite—few leaders enjoy having a fire lit under them as much as Beck does. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS…
Elliot Jacobson
The Brooklyn-based drummer has made himself indispensible to hitmakers like Ingrid Michaelson by getting deep into TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Duple/Triple Single-Diddle Gear Shifters Part 2
16th Notes and Sextuplets This month we’re going to isolate timing and sticking gear shifts between 16th notes and sextuplets (aka 16th-note triplets). These exercises are great for improving your hand technique as well as your timing. Using singles and…
Color Your Groove Tips for Playing Drums and Handheld Percussion Simultaneously
Adding handheld percussion, like shakers and tambourines, to tracks in the studio is nothing new. Producers have long taken advantage of the opportunity to overdub layers of rhythmic texture without necessarily worrying about how it’s all going to be replicated…
Be Prepared! Long-Term and Short-Term Skills for Success
I thought I would use this month’s column to elaborate on the details of developing your product. Last month we discussed balancing artistry and commerce. We broke that down into the four parts of these vital components. First, make a…
Chuck “Palito” Silverman
The drum community suffered an immense loss this past May 1, when teacher, mentor, and percussion ambassador Chuck “Palito” Silverman passed away at age sixty-two. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Ian Paice
How does a band—and not just any band, mind you, but one that’s among the loudest and baddest to ever walk the earth—keep up the intensity decade after decade after decade? TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG…
Tim Very
After four years with the dynamic rockers Manchester Orchestra—and a few before that paying dues on the indie scene— TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
